---
title: "What Is Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio? Stump Grinding Glossary"
description: "The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio compares how much carbon a material holds to how much nitrogen it holds, and wood has a high ratio that robs soil nitrogen as it..."
url: https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/carbon-to-nitrogen-ratio
publisher: Cincinnati Stump Grinding
phone: +1-513-587-6772
quote: https://cincystump.multisites.ai/contact
---

Soil

# Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio

The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio compares how much carbon a material holds to how much nitrogen it holds, and wood has a high ratio that robs soil nitrogen as it rots.

The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, written C:N, tells you how much carbon a material has for each part of nitrogen. A high number means a lot of carbon and little nitrogen. Wood is high.

Purdue Extension says the woody debris created from stump grinding has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio, and this reduces nitrogen availability for the new tree or grass. Microbes that rot the wood take nitrogen from the soil around it. This effect is called [nitrogen tie-up](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/nitrogen-tie-up).

Purdue advises adding slow-release turf fertilizer to make up for it. Removing the [stump grindings](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/stump-grindings) and adding [topsoil](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/topsoil) lowers the problem at its source. See [can you plant grass after stump grinding](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/guides/can-you-plant-grass-after-stump-grinding).

[From Cincinnati Stump GrindingChip haul-away and topsoil](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/services/chip-haul-away-topsoil)

## Related terms

-   [Nitrogen tie-up](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/nitrogen-tie-up)
-   [Stump grindings](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/stump-grindings)
-   [Wood chips](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/wood-chips)
-   [Soil settling](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/soil-settling)

## Sources

1.  [Purdue Extension: Can I Plant Grass Over Newly Removed Stump](https://extension.purdue.edu/news/2021/06/Question-Can-I-Plant-Grass-Over-Newly-Removed-Stump.html)
2.  [Purdue Extension: Can I Plant Grass Over Newly Removed Stump](https://extension.purdue.edu/news/2021/06/Question-Can-I-Plant-Grass-Over-Newly-Removed-Stump.html)
3.  [Purdue Extension: Can I Plant Grass Over Newly Removed Stump](https://extension.purdue.edu/news/2021/06/Question-Can-I-Plant-Grass-Over-Newly-Removed-Stump.html)